Calling the Pteranodon
by Sparky Lurkdragon
Summary: A pteranodon has an encounter with what he perceives to be a talking fish.


Author's note: This story takes place in the original Genesis games' storyline.  
Disclaimer: Ecco and his world belong to Appaloosa Interactive.  
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Fifty-five million years before a young Singer began to fight a menace from the stars, a pteranodon was hunting over the ocean. Earlier in the year, the winds of a violent storm had blown him off his migration course, and he had not made it to the rookery of his birth in time for the mating season; thus he was alone. The pterosaur was social enough to be lonely, but intelligent enough to realize, if in a somewhat vague way, that he would have another chance in time. His thoughts were not centered anywhere near females as he hunted.

And then his mind was refocused by a female's mating call.

It was an odd thing to hear at that time of year, to be sure, but it was there, and it immediately interested the lone pteranodon. The call repeated several times as he traced it back to where it was coming from... but, there were none of his kind where the source of the call should have been. He circled over the area, looking for some place the calling female might have been perched, but he could see nothing but the high cliffs nearby, and there were none of his kind there.

The call sounded again, and the pteranodon became still more confused; the sound seemed to be coming from the water – under the water, even. He circled closer, spiraling towards the spot. He was almost skimming the surface of the water when the call sounded once more, and the pteranodon was dumfounded. The mating call seemed to be coming from what looked like a gigantic fish.

The pterosaur flapped his wings, ascending slightly, and continued to circle the fish. Hesitantly, he called to it; its head moved slightly, and it made another mating call, its mouth oddly closed. The pteranodon continued circling, bewildered and somewhat disappointed. What _was_ that thing in the water? It looked like food, but it was making sounds like one of his kind... he had been expecting to find a possible mate for the year after all, not food that could talk.

The strange creature repeated the mating call. Now that he was close to it, the pteranodon realized that there was something slightly off about the fish's call – it still sounded quite a bit like a female's mating call, but it wasn't quite the right tone, pitched slightly too high, and it wasn't quite harsh or squawky enough. Still puzzled, he continued to circle, unsure what to do about the strange thing in the water.

The fish stopped looking out of the water at him and swam towards the cliffs, diving and then leaping out of the water near the edge of the giant rocks. It fell back into the water, then poked its head above the surface, making another mating call.

An idea formed in the pteranodon's mind. Perhaps the creature was something between a fish and a pteranodon? Perhaps it could sound very much like a pteranodon, but could not fly? He was still confused, but a plan of action was forming, and the pteranodon decided to go through with it. He called back at the creature to get its attention, then dove at it, talons out, as if he were hunting. The fish-pteranodon made a strange sound and tried to dive, but with no success; it struggled, making more weird noises, but it could not escape the pteranodon's grasp, even though he was being very careful with it. He made noises like he would have made to a frightened chick, trying to soothe the thing in his talons.

The pteranodon, with much effort and tiring flapping, managed to get over the top of the cliffs; when he was over the ocean again, he opened his talons and let the fish-pteranodon fall back into the water. It dove immediately after it hit the surface, turning and watching the pteranodon once it was several of its body's lengths under the water. The pteranodon perched on a rock and called at it. Several moments later, the fish-pteranodon lifted its head out of the water and called back with another mating call, made a few strange noises, then dove again.

The pterosaur stayed perched on the rock for a while, confusion fading into acceptance that something very strange had happened, that he did not understand the event, and that he probably never would. He remembered his hunger, and, the incident with the fish-pteranodon already fading away to the back of his mind, took flight and resumed hunting.


End file.
